"It was really tough and one thing that was beneficial for us is that we got organized really fast," said Priscilla Borders, the vice president of the Hope-Hill PTA. "The community came up and backed the school 100 percent."

That means her son RJ, who's going into the first grade, will again get to wear his school uniform with pride.

Hope-Hill is the last traditional school left in this community. And the fight now to make it thrive is just beginning. Students who used to go to Cook Elementary will now be attending Hope-Hill.

"We still have an education committee and it's very much still viable and there are still things in the school we have to contend with," Borders said. "We have to make sure the school is fully resourced. So that the staff and the kids have everything they need."